The Southern California coastal sewage outfalls were investigated in relation to their effect upon standing stocks of phytoplankton, and on primary production. Kinetic parameters for the assimilation of ammonium, nitrate, and urea were determined at the outfall sites using N-15 labeled substrates. Laboratory studies investigated the utilization of various forms of nitrogen by phytoplankton, mechanisms and rates of nitrogen assimilation, and enzymes of nitrogen assimilation. It was found that the maximum growth rate was a variable, while the saturation constant was uniform over a range of dilution rates of N-limited chemostat cultures. The chemical composition of phytoplankton varied with dilution rate in reproducible ways. By varying the dilution rate of such cultures one seems to regulate the degree of nitrogen-deficiency of the phytoplankton.

A two volume compilation, review and critique of the literature on biological trickling filter studies and related pollution abatement processes have been made. In the report, the literature review and critical analysis, is divided into: Introduction, definitions, history and background theory of the trickling filter process; Plant design, materials of construction, operation, maintenance and performance; Trickling filter research and development approaches, ecology, and patents, and Applications of trickling filter to specific industrial wastes. Based on the review, several general conclusions were drawn. There is no well-defined theory of design and operation. Much published work was redundant, and European efforts were not readily accepted in the United States, and vice versa. The literature reflects cycles of interest in trickling filters. The process is not applicable to all pollution problems, but its shock survival capabilities and rapid flow-through time are definite advantages which cannot be overlooked in any design of a waste treatment facility. In Vol. 2 a bibliography of 5,665 references relating to biological trickling filters studies is presented. Author references are listed in alphabetical sequence based upon the surname of the author. Anonymous articles are listed after the alphabetical author sequence, according to the alphabetical sequence of the journal, and chronologically within the journal.

Effect of chlorinated municipal wastes on fish life and laboratory findings of earlier researchers were assessed in separate studies at four Michigan municipal wastewater treatment plants. Tolerance levels and river length below each plant outfall rendered unavailable to resident fish populations were determined. Ten rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and ten fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), previously acclimated, were held 96 hours in live boxes in the stream above and below these outfalls. Fish held below these outfalls were subjected to both chlorinated and non-chlorinated exposures during effluent discharge. Test waters were monitored chemically and bacteriologically during fish exposure. Total residual chlorine concentrations below three plants were toxic to rainbow trout at distances up to 0.8 mile. Fathead minnows appeared adversely affected up to 0.6 mile downstream in two of the four plants. Total residual chlorine concentrations less than 0.1 mg/l were toxic to fathead minnows. Rainbow trout 96-hour total residual chlorine TL-50 concentration below two plants was 0.023 mg/l.

The feasibility of using histochemical and histopathological changes in brook trout, longnose dace and fathead minnows as bioindicators of acid pollution was investigated. Laboratory studies entailed using a gravity flow diluter system. Field studies involved using net traps in polluted streams. Exposure durations were 4-5 days and 28-30 days. Histochemical and cytophotometric analyses were made of gills, Stannius corpuscle, blood, spleen, kidney and liver. The primary mode of acid toxicant action is gill damage which results in impaired respiratory, excretory and liver functions. Short term indices of acid stress include: colloidal iron and aminosalicylic acids (PAS) staining of gills and renal Stannius corpuscles. A useful bioindicator of prolonged acid exposure is decreased azure B-RNA staining of liver cells; this assesses the extent of liver impairment and reflects a reduced tolerance of fish to other toxicants.

Hot waste pickle liquor (ferrous sulfate) as an iron source was successful in precipitating phosphorus from solution in a 115 mgd East Plant of Milwaukee's Jones Island Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plant. An 85 mgd section of the plant receiving the same influent was operated as a control. The East Plant with iron addition, achieved 91.3% removals (0.70 mg/1 P effluent residual), while the control West Plant removed 83.1% (1.4 mg/1 P residual). Comparison of efficiencies of purification, pH, alkalinity, and microscopic examinations of the sludge microorganism indicated that the addition of unneutralized waste pickle liquor did not adversely affect purification processes.

The report describes process changes and waste treatment, recovery, and reuse facilities installed by Volco Brass and Copper Company, Kenilworth, New Jersey. The plant produces 75 tons of wire per day. An electrolytic system was installed to recover copper from the spent primary pickle solution and to regenerate the sulfuric acid for reuse. A hydrogen peroxide bright pickle replaced the chromate and fluoride bright pickles previously used. Copper from the bright pickle is also recovered in the electrolytic system. The electrolytic copper is reused on location in casting. An integrated copper treatment system was installed to treat bright pickle drag-out. Sludge from the integrated system is recovered for sale. Rinse water consumption was reduced from 150 gpm to 10 gpm. Former discharges of chromium, ammonium, and fluoride ions have been eliminated. Cost and operating data and effluent analyses are presented.

Detailed field and laboratory studies of five feedlots were conducted to determine field seepage rates and distributive geometry of infiltrated runoff. Practical field seepage rates at these sites ranged from 2 to 20 feet/year. Dispersal rates of ions in the groundwater zone varied from 45 to 400 feet/year. Nitrogen (NO₃, NO₂, NH₄, Org-N) and common chemical parameters (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, SO₄, TDS, pH, and conductance) were determined in cores and groundwater samples; based on groundwater analyses from 80 Texas High Plains feedlots, rates of concentration of NO₃-N and Cl in groundwater beneath feedlots range from 0.07 to 0.4 p.p.m. per year, and average 0.17 p.p.m. per year.